RUSSIA: State of the Union

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The annual State of the Union address to the Central Executive Committee Congress by Premier Vyacheslav Molotov, an earnest and statistical-minded statesman who seldom makes less than a three-hour speech, began last week with Joseph Stalin in the back row. Three and a half hours later the Dictator was in the front row, the better to hear the Premier who had grown somewhat hoarse.

President Roosevelt in his State of the Union address took cracks at other nations without mentioning their names (TIME, Jan. 13). Premier Molotov named Italy as "imperialistic," named Poland as "interested in expansion," scored Japan and Germany for "aggressive intentions" and shouted: "The Nazis are getting ready to strike! Germany is literally a military camp and endangers the whole of Europe."

Russia, "despite remnants of speculators and parasites," said her Premier, is "now on a Socialist basis," and "in every category during 1935 we overfulfilled our industrial plans!"

In a vein of light raillery, Molotov dismissed Uruguay's breaking off of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and charges that Moscow has been actively fomenting revolution in South America (TIME, Jan. 6). Molotov drew laughter by exclaiming, "To listen to the Uruguayans, one would think we had nothing else to do but interfere in other people's affairs!"

France and Czechoslovakia the Premier praised as bulwarks of European peace. Of Russia he said, "We are stronger and better. The old world must make way for the new!"